United focus on Japan after Kagawa signing

21 August 2012 | Posted in Broadcast, Soccer, Asia | By Michael Long

Manchester United has teamed up with Fuji TV to provide exclusive club content to viewers in Japan.

The world’s most valuable sports team is aiming to make further inroads into the key Asian market following the recent signing of Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund.

The three-year tie-up with Fuji TV will see MUTV content such as full match coverage, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage made available on Fuji ONE, TWO and NEXT.

Additionally, Fuji TV will air pre-match preview shows and post-match interview specials, as well as documentaries and archive programmes.

United’s commercial director Richard Arnold said the Red Devils’ following in Japan numbers four million and added: "MUTV is a must for any Manchester United fan, offering up-to-date and exclusive news, interviews and archive footage.”

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“The dedicated channel has a reach of 60 million worldwide and the club is delighted to be partnering with Fuji TV, one of Japan’s major TV channels, to bring MUTV to Japan.”

Meanwhile, billionaire investor George Soros has bought a stake in United following the club’s flotation on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on 9th August.

Soros' investment fund, Soros Fund Management LLC, bought about 3.1 million Class A shares, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission, equating to a 1.9 per cent stake in the entire club, worth about US$40.7 million at the close of trading on Monday.

The 82-year-old investor, who previously considered a takeover of Italian side AS Roma in 2008, oversees around US$25 billion in assets.

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